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Mendelssohn: Elijah
(more) »rank: 9245from: EMI Classics
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Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos
(more) »rank: 8181from: EMI Classics
: essential recording:Otto Klemperer's Beethoven is one of the towering achievements in the history of recordings. By today's standards, these performances are hopelessly old-fashioned: dark, heavy, and frequently very slow. But they are also the grandest, most unsentimental, most purposeful versions in the catalog. In addition, the relatively slow tempos (only in the fast movements--the slow ones are pretty swift) and forward wind balance permit more detail to be heard than in most original-instrument performances. At budget price and with the entire piano concerto cycle thrown in for good measure, this is greatness incarnate. --David Hurwitz
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Faure Requiem Op.48 / Durufle Requiem Op.9
(more) »rank: 5142by: Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, Judith Blegen, James Morris
: :The chorus is at center of Shaw's reading of the score, presumably the more lightly scored 1893 version that Fauré‚ himself created (Telarc does not specify). The account flows very well, and the work of both soloists is highly satisfying, particularly Judith Blegen's airy soprano in Pie Jesu. The recording dates from 1985-86 and is one of Telarc's best, with excellent presence overall and real bass in the organ. --Ted Libbey
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Tabula Rasa
(more) »rank: 19470by: Dennis Russell Davies, Keith Jarrett, Gidon Kremer, Stuttgart State Orchestra, Tatiana Grindenko, Alfred Schnittke, Twelve Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic
: essential recording:This seminal disc now almost seems like the manifesto for a whole new strain of minimalism that has found an enormously receptive audience. It represented a breakthrough for Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, whose music--like that of his European colleagues John Tavener and Henryk Górecki--pursues an austerely beautiful simplicity that suggests spiritual illumination. Fratres, given here in two versions, one for piano and violin and the other for 12 cellos, repeatedly intones a sequence resembling chant to convey a sensibility that seems at once archaic and beyond time. Violinist Gidon Kremer, for whom Pärt wrote the exquisitely contemplative and hypnotic title work, ...
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Classic Yo-Yo
(more) »rank: 33871from: Sony
: :Except for one 'previously unreleased' recording and two new ones, this is a compilation of segments taken from older Yo-Yo Ma CDs, perhaps to whet listeners' appetite to hear the entire records. The disc represents a triumph of performance over material. The program consists of short pieces and single movements of long ones and serves to display Yo-Yo Ma's extraordinary versatility, his spectacular instrumental and musical gifts, and his remarkable ability to invest everything he plays with the same commitment and emotional concentration. There is no logic to the sequence, except that it begins and ends with solo cello. Bach, whom Ma plays ...
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Hush
(more) »rank: 6917from: Sony
: :The idea here was to put two masters together--one classical cellist, one improvisational singer/sound-effects performer--and voilà! instant amazing, unique, hip--and, hopefully, hit--record. The intriguing setup was to see what would happen when each led the other through the unfamiliar territory of his own specialty. The success of this recording lies not so much in the music or even in the overall performances, but in the fascinating and fun opportunity to sit in on the musicians' good-natured, respectful give-and-take, to witness an uncommon form of artistic chemistry that allows each performer to expand his vision and even his technique. On one hand we get ...
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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4
(more) »rank: 7619from: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
: :The idea here was to put two masters together--one classical cellist, one improvisational singer/sound-effects performer--and voilà! instant amazing, unique, hip--and, hopefully, hit--record. The intriguing setup was to see what would happen when each led the other through the unfamiliar territory of his own specialty. The success of this recording lies not so much in the music or even in the overall performances, but in the fascinating and fun opportunity to sit in on the musicians' good-natured, respectful give-and-take, to witness an uncommon form of artistic chemistry that allows each performer to expand his vision and even his technique. On one hand we get ...
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Noël: Carols & Chants for Christmas - Anonymous 4 (4 CD Set)
(more) »rank: 12155from: Harmonia Mundi
: :The idea here was to put two masters together--one classical cellist, one improvisational singer/sound-effects performer--and voilà! instant amazing, unique, hip--and, hopefully, hit--record. The intriguing setup was to see what would happen when each led the other through the unfamiliar territory of his own specialty. The success of this recording lies not so much in the music or even in the overall performances, but in the fascinating and fun opportunity to sit in on the musicians' good-natured, respectful give-and-take, to witness an uncommon form of artistic chemistry that allows each performer to expand his vision and even his technique. On one hand we get ...
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Mozart: Horn Concertos Nos. 1-4
(more) »rank: 13540from: EMI Classics
: :The idea here was to put two masters together--one classical cellist, one improvisational singer/sound-effects performer--and voilà! instant amazing, unique, hip--and, hopefully, hit--record. The intriguing setup was to see what would happen when each led the other through the unfamiliar territory of his own specialty. The success of this recording lies not so much in the music or even in the overall performances, but in the fascinating and fun opportunity to sit in on the musicians' good-natured, respectful give-and-take, to witness an uncommon form of artistic chemistry that allows each performer to expand his vision and even his technique. On one hand we get ...
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Andre Rieu: Masterpieces
(more) »rank: 9407from: Philips
: :Loved by millions around the world, no one makes people feel as good as André Rieu. Whether performing a lilting waltz or a traditional folk song, the magic that Rieu creates is electrifying. A one-of-a-kind artist, his music pulls at the heartstrings and inspires you to get up and dance. More from André Rieu The Flying Dutchman Tuscany At the Movies Radio City Music Hall Live in New York Live in Dublin André Rieu Collection
